Sunday, August 11, 2013

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

Jun 26th

Justice League of America #5 - It's a serious disadvantage to get my books a few weeks after just about everybody else, because this issue was spoiled for me, too. I'm getting a little tired of it. Especially when it's DC's own website doing the spoiling half the time.

Justice League #21 - All Shazam, all the time. I'm not as interested in Captain Marvel as I am in the Justice League, so this issue is a slight disappointment.

Aquaman #21 - Multiple cliffhangers to finish this one, wow. And lots of new characters, as well. I like Nereus, and Scavanger is way more nasty than he was in the original series. The next issue will be hard for me to wait for.

Arrow #8 - Not a fan of Deadshot. Not happy with a story that doesn't even explain why Ollie is out of the city. And the Felicity story, well that one was ok.

Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #6 - FROBISHER! ALL HAIL THE BIG TALKING BIRD! Ahem. Not a bad little tale, but I do have to wonder about the missing companion in that one. And, for that matter, what was (SPOILER ALERT!)the Master(END SPOILER) up to? Great ending, with a very intriguing surprise appearance. This series is getting better every issue, and it started out really strong.

Hoax Hunters Case Files #1 - A handful of short one-off stories, some better than others. I particularly like the one in which the team gets turned into LEGO for a panel. Funny stuff.

Steed and Mrs Peel #9 - Um. Eek? Wow. I really wish I'd seen more of the tv series, then I might have a better clue what was happening in the comic. On the other hand, there's plenty of context. I just feel like I keep missing a catch or two.

Powers: Bureau #5 - Well, the plot is moving along, but the glacial pace is starting to get to me again. I sometimes pine for the old days, when six pages was enough for a full story.

Peanuts V2 #9 - As usual, a pretty good mix of fairly standard humor and some genuinely funny bits. I liked the July Fool story, even though the ending was telegraphed.

My library book this week was The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun. A reporter getting back into the business after having a a long personal decline meets Koko the cat and his unusual owner. A bit over four and a half years ago I read one of the later books in this series during a sleep study. I was not a reporter at the time, so the profession of the main character didn't make any impact on me. It was also a jolting read, being in the middle of a series without context to tell me what was going on... and I read it during my big Agatha Christie kick, so it was mildly disappointing compared to the mysteries I'd been reading. I remember almost nothing about that book, except that the cats were awesome.
This time, the most jolting thing about the book was the descriptions of the workings of the journalistic world of 1966. It was both amusing and shocking. The concept of a press club is so alien to my own experience that I just enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the relaxed attitude of the reporter to his stories. Overall, that side was fun. The mystery was ok, but not the biggest draw of the book for me. Certainly enjoyable, and I definitely like the cat.